Iran ends developed countries' monopoly on producing some recombinant drugs

A new report by Iran's Food and Drug Administration says the country is now among few countries that can produce recombinant drugs.

RIXUBIS recombinant drug developed by Baxter
RIXUBIS is used to replace clotting factor IX that is missing in adults and children with hemophilia B

An official at the Iranian Ministry of Health says the Islamic Republic is now a producer of some recombinant drugs, which were previously produced by some developed countries, thus ending their monopoly in the field.

Akbar Abdollahi-Asl, Iranian Food and Drug Administration's deputy for supervision and planning, was quoted by IRNA on Sunday as saying that by producing recombinant drugs, Iran has practically managed to end the monopoly of advanced countries on the production of these important medicines.

The official noted that apart from the original producing country, Iran is now the only country capable of synthesizing the molecule of recombinant Factor VII, which is used to treat hemophiliacs.

He added that Iran has been also able to take part in some international tenders in this regard and has even won some of those tenders.

Abdollahi-Asl noted that at present the country is almost self-sufficient in supplying most medicines used to treat patients with cardiovascular and alimentary tract diseases as well as those injured in various kinds of accidents.

During recent years, Iran has broken new grounds in major scientific fields, especially medicine, and is currently capable of meeting most medical needs of patients inside the country.

On April 26, ISNA news agency reported that Iranian researchers have produced a nano-drug, which has proven effective in battling treatment resistant cancers.

According to the report, the polymer-based nanocarrier has been produced by the Cancer Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences for the targeted release of the anti-cancer drug, curcumin.

Curcumin, which is found in turmeric, has anti-cancer and cancer preventing properties apart from its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, said Dr. Ali Mohammad Alizadeh from the Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council.

He added that since all the basic materials required to manufacture nano-curcumin are available in the country it can be domestically mass-produced as an anti-cancer drug.